Funeral Black Armband – Black Mourning Arm Band – Military/Police/Fire/EMS – Elastic 2 Inches Wide by 14 Inches Long (Unhooked) with Secure Hook & Loop Closure

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Officers from the same department as the deceased wear mourning bands for 30 days from the time of their fellow officer’s death. Again, these are basic guidelines by which many agencies and officers should abide. However, some choose to modify them according to their preferences.

Nowadays, many obituaries feature a corollary that states something to the effect of “In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made in the deceased’s honor.” The obituary will then include a brief list of causes or institutions about which the deceased cared. Public mourning can involve a range of acts and practices. In some cultures, wearing clothing of a particular color after death is an act of public mourning. Wearing symbols of mourning is a similar practice. A solid white shirt is preferred, but light blue can also be acceptable. French cuffs, because of their formality, are a benefit but not essential. If you’re an officer who is unfamiliar with your department’s guidelines, feel free to ask your superiors for more information on this topic. They will likely appreciate the fact that you take the matter so seriously. During times of sadness and mourning, it's normal for somebody to let others know how they feel. This expression isn't merely a way of calling attention to their pain. In various cultures, public mourning is a sign of respect for the dead. Some forms of public mourning can even be a way to respectfully express condolences .

A mourning band is one symbol of mourning that you may have seen without necessarily knowing what it is. If so, this guide should answer some of your questions on the topic. What Are Mourning Bands? While you do not technically have to dress up, failing to do so may be interpreted as disrespectful to the deceased. An obvious exception would be if the hosts of the event have specifically requested more casual attire. In most of Europe and North America, highly ritualized mourning customs were largely discarded by the middle of the 20th century and generally assumed the scale and appearance by which they are recognized today.

If you’re unsure what to wear to the funeral of someone whose culture is different from your own, our blog offers many articles on funeral etiquette for numerous cultures that may prove helpful. Read them to help yourself feel more comfortable with your behavior and etiquette at a funeral. How Do You Wear a Mourning Band? Remember me when I am gone away / Gone far away into the silent land / When you can no more hold me by the hand / Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.” Chrstina Rossetti Perhaps you’re attending the funeral of an officer you knew, and you want to show respect to the other officers at the funeral by wearing your own mourning band. Your intentions may be good, but some law enforcement officers tend to consider mourning bands a special symbol of collective solidarity that reminds them they belong to a unique fellowship. Law enforcement agencies and officers were not the first groups to wear some form of a mourning band. Although there is no official consensus on the subject, many believe formally wearing mourning bands began sometime around 1770 in England. Again, in the US, the term mourning band usually refers specifically to the bands that law enforcement officers wear around their badges when officers die in the line of duty. Thus, we tend to associate mourning bands with local police forces and various other law enforcement agencies.Along with law enforcement officers, members of other groups who put themselves in harm’s way to protect the public may sometimes wear mourning bands. They may not always perfectly resemble the mourning bands that law enforcement officers wear, but they have the same meaning. For instance, sometimes firefighters and emergency medical services providers wear their versions of mourning bands. Members of armed forces throughout the world may do so as well. What’s the Etiquette Around Mourning Bands? There are no official rules regarding how one should wear a mourning band. However, there are guidelines most police officers and departments generally agree upon. They include the following: Funerals and memorial services are where the living interact to honor and mourn the dead. It is a time to pay extra attention to etiquette when emotions and feelings are so raw. Keeping the following guidelines in mind will ensure that you behave appropriately and respectfully.

If the only suit you have is a navy blue pinstripe, then yes, that is what you should wear. However, pinstripes say “business,” and there should be nothing businesslike about a funeral. Solid charcoal gray is better.

When you attend a wake or funeral, do not be concerned about what you must or mustn’t say; often, a respectful smile and a warm hug or stroke of the arm or firm clutching of hands says much more than any trite words could possibly convey. The physical support translates into what the other person needs. A mourning band should fit tight on an officer's badge. An officer will wear a mourning band across the middle for most badge shapes.

Officers should wear mourning bands when an officer from a nearby jurisdiction loses their life in the line of duty. They begin wearing mourning bands on the date of the officer’s death and do not remove them until after said officer’s burial. If the hosts of the funerary event make an explicit request as to dress, follow it, even if its breaks conventional mourning rules. You never want to overshadow the deceased’s family by being overdressed. If no such explicit statement is made, you can feel comfortable conforming to the following guidelines. Time of Year A Chinese cemetery in summer. [Image Credit: Wikimedia] A German cemetery in winter [Image Credit: Wikimedia] Wear a white or light blue shirt with long sleeves and a collar. Ideally, it should be a button-down shirt. But, of course, it is maybe a class question in any country: the more traditional the family / friends – the more strict and traditional the dress code. The same dark suit requirement is also appropriate for wakes, especially evening wakes. (In my experience, perhaps because the work environment is what it is today, mostly people attend wakes rather than funerals these days, except, of course, when very close relatives or close friends are connected to the decedent.) There should be formality and respect, and a dark suit suggests that better than anything else. But if , for instance, the decedent was a member of a high school team or a member of a police force, firefighters’ brigade or nursing staff at the time of passing, it is quite appropriate for team mates or co-workers to wear their uniforms to indicate a sense of kinship and a recognition of the decedent’s life, values, spirit and commitment.Law enforcement officers put themselves at risk to keep others safe. When they lose their lives in the line of duty, those who serve with them naturally want to honor the sacrifice they made. Wearing mourning bands has long been a common way they’ve come together to do so. Mourning bands can come in several shapes and sizes. A basic mourning band is simply a garment or accessory that someone wears around a part of their body or on an important part of a uniform. If you are not a member of the deceased’s family or close friends, do not sit in the first few rows of seats. If you are attending a funeral and do not own a suit, it is still possible to craft a decorous outfit. In general, your goal ought to be to minimize drawing attention to yourself by blending in with the other attendants as much as possible. Article In Sweden this never happens or at least very seldom: Closed coffin, mostly sinks down to the cellar (if there is a crematorium in the building), or discretely taken away by the undertakers, after the service.